1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to accessories for aiding persons in the use of hand tools and, more particularly, is concerned with a tool wrist strap for catching a dropped tool and holding it in proximity to the person's hand.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Persons engaged in repair and construction type work ordinarily have to use a variety of hand tools to perform their tasks. Their work commonly takes place over machinery and/or on platforms at various heights above the ground.
Obviously, for many reasons, such persons seek to avoid dropping their tools. One reason is simply that the dropped tool must be picked up before the person can continue using it to complete the particular task. This can entail wasted time and energy in climbing down from a considerable height just to pick up the tool. Frequently, the tool will land at a place out of the user's sight and so a search may have to be undertaken to locate the tool. This circumstance increases the amount of time wasted in retrieving the dropped tool. Another, more serious reason is that the dropped tool exposes persons located below to potential injury or even death if they are struck by the falling tool. Still another reason is that the dropped tool has the potential to cause damage to machinery located below. The damage can result in many ways. For instance, the damage can be due to the impact of the falling tool on the machinery or parts. Where the machinery is operating at the time, the falling tool may come to rest in the path of moving components causing damage thereto and/or necessitate shutting down the machinery.
While without doubt, persons using hand tools try to maintain sufficient grip on them, conditions are practically certain to arise in which tools will be dropped. For instance, moisture from sweating frequently makes it difficult to maintain the necessary grip on the tool handle. Muscular fatigue can cause the person to loosen his or her grip without consciously realizing it. In reaction to an unexpected slip, the person may unconsciously drop the tool in grabbing for some support structure to prevent or cushion the fall.
The problem of inadvertent release or dropping of hand tools has been recognized for many years as evidenced by U.S. Pat. No. 774,143 to Adams in 1904. Devices for attaching articles, such as a key, tennis racket, handbag and ski pole, to a person's wrist have also been proposed in the prior patent art. See U.S. Pat. Nos. to Johnson (2,522,719), Brennan (3,294,299), Larsen (4,315,641), Van't Hof (4,322,077) and Schwemberger (4,489,867). However, none of these devices appear to embody a construction that is suited to provide an optimum solution to the above-described problem.
Consequently, a need still exists for a device or accessory which will be found by users to be economical, convenient, and safe to use and effective in preventing inadvertent dropping of a tool.